We're Going Back

"Up. Come on, boy, up," Yvette coaxed the Rottweiler, so he'd jump up into the carriage. He was only a couple years old and on his second trip to school with Yvette after spending his summer herding and guarding the livestock. The teen gave him a final push and got him into the carriage before pushing her trunk in and shoving it under the bench like seat. Hopping into the carriage Yvette settled herself on the seat above her trunk, the dog curling up at her feet. She was dressed in her blue school uniform robes with her whip tucked under them at her side, black leather cowboy boots on her feet, and black Stetson pulled low on her head.

Leaving the carriage door open Yvette pulled out a small paperback book about trailcraft. It would do to pass the time unless someone joined her. Directing her body so she was against the back wall and facing the door she kept her book opened in front of her to read it and keep an eye on the door at the same time. She wasn't one to be caught unawares.

Chris waltzed onto the carriage looking around. He was nervous and exctied to start up class again. He looked around unsure where exactly where he was going to go. It wasn't like he had made many friends in the past year. He was sort of a quiet type.

Wandering along, he found a slighlty familar face.

"Yvette, right?" He wandered a little closer and then looked at the dog, "Woah - nice dog."

Glancing up from the pages of her book Yvette smirked. "Indeed, Chris," she replied. "Still thinking of becoming a back country cowboy 'stead of a city slicker?" She had left rather hastily at their last encounter because she had to either leave or throw that freakin' barbie over the side of the tower and then the stupid bimbo had the nerve to approach her again at the coffee shop.

She looked down at the Rottweiler on the floor she breathed a sigh of relief that he was lying peacefully and not leaping to attack the boy. "You can come in," Yvette commented flipping her page, feigning disinterest. "He doesn't bite very hard."

The boy grinned, "Of course, I'm still up for giving anything a try; learn all you can while you can right?"

He cast the dog one small nervous glance before taking a seat, "Well as long as its not very hard."

Pulling up his bag to the seat beside him, and began to sort through it, looking to make sure he had everything - probably for the hundreth time that morning - he really did worry too much about such things.

"So," he looked back up smiling down at the animal, "Does he have a name?"

Yvette gave a small snort in amusement at the younger boy. Was it just him or were all children this amusing? Laying her book down on her lap without bothering to mark her page and dangling her hand in front of the dog's nose she commented," Of course he's got a name. What self respecting, human-raised animal doesn't?"

Sitting up in the seat a bit she ordered, "Well, come on. Tell the boy your name, you great, bloody brute." Yvette was responded to with a seemingly irritated huff. Reluctanly the Rottweiler rose to his feet and stretched, yawning wide and showing off his mouthful of dangerous teeth. Sitting back on his haunches and facing the boy he proudly threw back his head, exposing the ornate leather collar that was done up tightly around his thick neck. On a singular peice of brass worked into the leather was the inscription reading, "Instar".

Chris laughed, and although the question more likely than not rhetorical, he actually thought about it. He had to defend his question should he not?

"Well... perhaps, one that wants to stake out its independance," he suggested with a nod and a laugh, not really sure how his logic was working here, but was going to go with it anyways.

He tilted his head as he watched the dog move, and the squinted as he looked at the inscription.

"Instar," he read allowed and then smiled. "Good name - well then nice to meet you Instar."

Instar gave a huffing woof and held out his large paw for Chris to take. He had learned manners right from the start and his mistress made sure he never forgot them. Manners were always important in the dog's life, even more important than herding skills. After all, no one wanted an ill-mannered dog chasing after their livestock.

Yvette tilted her hat back as she crossed her feet on the seat. The boy had some sense about him that was for sure. All he needed was a bit of training and he wouldn't turn out so bad. In response to him she commented, "But if they were trying to strike their independence, not having a name would be detrimental to their cause would it not? Because then they would merely be a nameless individual in a group." The cowgirl glanced over at Chris. "No, I believe in order to be independant individuals, everyone needs a name."

Chris laughed and took the animals paw, and gave it as firm a shake as he could muster. "Nice mannors too - I bet all the dogs are jealous of you."

He laughed a bit to himself before turning back to his human companion.

"THats a fair point," he agreed with a nod, pulling his legs up onto the seat and under him, a habitual way of sitting he had developed as a young child and never really stopped. "Though, I believe I was going - or trying to say was - the thoguht I had..."

Glaring at himself for his own usuall tongue tied-ness, he sighed and tried agian.

"Maybe the individual ones wish to be self-named, free of the name their masters put on them."

Gazing down at her animal companion Yvette gave a small smile as he shook paw and laid back down, totally at ease with the young boy. She remembered when she had first got him as a puppy. He had been so intelligent and it tugged at her heart to remember to tiny puppy spelling out his name for her.

"I know what you mean, Chris," she replied looking towards him, her Stetson giving her brown eyes a guarded look. "I despise when people give animals silly names merely because they're 'cute'. I give my animals sensible names or call them by the names they already identify with. Instar told me his name for example. He literally spelled it out in the dirt with his claw. He is a very intelligent for being so young." She smirked. "Rather like you I believe. You're quite intelligent, it just seems like you lack the confidence in some things. It would explain why you get tongue tied sometimes when trying to explain yourself."

"Wow," he said after a moment, smiling at the dog, "That is impressive - I could spell my own name until I was probably six." He laughed a bit to himself.

"I always wanted a pet but Ma never wanted animals in the house."

He raised an eyebrow, a slight blush tinging his cheeks, "You think I'm intelliegent? I think that perhaps I'm just good at faking it - not to say that you aren't- or well that you are...."

He sighed and shook his head gave a slight laugh, "What were you saying about that confindence thing, and where can I get some, so I can stop this sputtering?"